Three-slotted antenna apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and associated method are provided involving a housing having a periphery configured to operate as a second antenna, a third antenna, and a fourth antenna. The periphery includes a top wall having a first slot formed therein, a first side wall having a second slot formed therein, and a second side wall having a third slot formed therein. The top wall is arranged between the first side wall and the second side wall, and a top portion of the periphery is defined between the second slot and the third slot. The top portion is divided into a first top side portion and a second top side portion via the first slot. Further, the first top side portion operates as the second antenna, and the second top side portion operates as both the third antenna and the fourth antenna.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/604,962, filed on Oct. 11, 2019, which is a national stageapplication of International Application No. PCT/CN2018/082450, filed onApr. 10, 2018, which claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/488,308, filed on Apr. 14, 2017, now patent Ser. No. 10/236,559 whichissued on Mar. 19, 2019. All aforementioned applications are herebyincorporated by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to antennas, and more particularly toconformal antennas.

BACKGROUND

As more and more subscribers and devices load networks, there is anincreased demand for more coverage, spectral efficiency, and/or peakthroughput. Technology such as long term evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced,and permutations thereof have attempted to address such needs. Forexample, LTE-Advanced provides 8×8 multiple-input-multiple output (MIMO)operation in downlink connections and 4×4 MIMO in uplink connections.However, supporting such technology in mobile devices (e.g. userequipment (UE), etc.) may be complicated by mobile device size, the needto accommodate other componentry such as large displays, preferredindustrial designs (IDs), etc.

SUMMARY

An apparatus is provided including a housing having a peripheryconfigured to operate as a second antenna, a third antenna, and a fourthantenna. The periphery includes a top wall having a first slot formedtherein, a first side wall having a second slot formed therein, and asecond side wall having a third slot formed therein. The top wall isarranged between the first side wall and the second side wall, and a topportion of the periphery is defined between the second slot and thethird slot. The top portion is divided into a first top side portion anda second top side portion via the first slot. Further, the first topside portion operates as the second antenna, and the second top sideportion operates as both the third antenna and the fourth antenna.

Also provided is a method including creating a housing having aperiphery including a top wall, a first side wall, and a second sidewall. Such periphery is configured to operate as a second antenna, athird antenna, and a fourth antenna. The method further comprisesetching at least three slots in a top portion of the periphery includinga first slot formed in the top wall, a second slot formed in the firstside wall, and a third slot formed in the second side wall, for dividingthe top portion into a first top side portion that operates as thesecond antenna, and a second top side portion that operates as both thethird antenna and the fourth antenna.

A system is also provided including a mobile device with a housinghaving a periphery configured to operate as a second antenna, a thirdantenna, and a fourth antenna. The periphery includes a top wall havinga first slot formed therein, a first side wall having a second slotformed therein, and a second side wall having a third slot formedtherein. The top wall is arranged between the first side wall and thesecond side wall, and a top portion of the periphery is defined betweenthe second slot and the third slot. The top portion is divided into afirst top side portion and a second top side portion via the first slot.Further, the first top side portion operates as the second antenna, andthe second top side portion operates as both the third antenna and thefourth antenna.

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, the second antenna mayinclude a second antenna feed extending inwardly from the top wall ofthe housing, and a second antenna ground.

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, further provided is aconfigurable element in electrical communication with the second antennafeed. As an option, the configurable element may include a switch and aresistive element, a capacitive element, and/or an inductive element.

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, the second antenna maybe configured to be switched between a first mode of operation foroperating at a first frequency range and a second mode of operation foroperating at a second frequency range.

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, a first size of thefirst top side portion and a second size of the second top side portionmay be the same. In other embodiments, such may not necessarily be thecase.

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, the third antenna andthe fourth antenna may share a common ground. As an option, the thirdantenna and the fourth antenna may be connected to the common ground viaspaced adjacent fixed conductive elements.

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, the third antenna andthe fourth antenna may be grounded to a camera in the housing.

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, the third antenna mayinclude a third antenna feed extending inwardly adjacent to a center ofthe top wall of the housing.

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, the fourth antenna mayinclude a fourth antenna feed extending inwardly from the top wall ofthe housing.

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, the four antennas maybe configured to operate as a 4×4 multiple-in-multiple-out (MIMO)antenna.

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, further provided is aninsulative material positioned in each of the slots.

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, the second slot formedin the first side wall and the third slot formed in the second side wallmay be parts of a continuous slot formed in the back face of thehousing, and the first slot formed in the top wall may be further formedin the back face of the housing and may extend to the continuous slot.

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, the third antenna maybe configured to cooperate with a global positioning system (GPS) so asto exhibit an upper hemisphere isotropic sensitivity (UHIS) ratio thatis greater than −3 dB.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a housing equipped with at least fourantennas, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the housing of FIG. 1 equipped with at leastfour antennas, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the housing taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2, inaccordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the housing taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2, inaccordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of the housing taken along line 5-5 ofFIG. 4, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 5B-1 is a back cross-sectional view of a housing, in accordancewith another embodiment.

FIG. 5B-2 is a top cross-sectional view of a housing, in accordance withthe embodiment shown in FIG. 5B-1.

FIG. 5C-1 is a back cross-sectional view of a housing, in accordancewith another embodiment.

FIG. 5C-2 is a top cross-sectional view of a housing, in accordance withthe embodiment shown in FIG. 5C-1.

FIG. 5D-1 is a back cross-sectional view of a housing, in accordancewith another embodiment.

FIG. 5D-2 is a top cross-sectional view of a housing, in accordance withthe embodiment shown in FIG. 5D-1.

FIG. 5E is perspective of the housing of FIGS. 1-5A, in accordance withanother embodiment with the aforementioned slots forming a continuousslot.

FIG. 6 is a method for constructing a housing that is configured tooperate as four conformal antennas, in accordance with anotherembodiment.

FIG. 7A is a chart illustrating exemplary antenna efficiency that isexhibited in connection with operation of the embodiment of FIG. 1, inaccordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 7B is another chart illustrating exemplary antenna efficiency thatis exhibited in connection with operation of the embodiment of FIG. 1,in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of a network architecture, in accordance with anembodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram of an exemplary processing device, in accordancewith an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Various embodiments are described herein for providing a housing (e.g.phone housing) with at least four antennas. To accomplish this, threeslots are formed in the housing. In some optional embodiments, suchslots are formed in a manner that divides the housing into symmetricalportions, for aesthetic purposes. By this design, the housing may serveas four antennas possibly configured to operate as a 4×4multiple-in-multiple-out (MIMO) antenna that may be particularly usefulto accommodate operating frequencies used in connection with advancedcellular protocol standards such as 4G, long term evolution (LTE),LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), 5G and further advancements thereof, etc. In thecontext of the present description, 4×4 MIMO refers to any antennatechnology for wireless communications where four (4) antennas are usedin connection with a transmitter and four (4) antennas are used inconnection with a receiver for sending and/or receiving more than onedata signal simultaneously over the same radio channel by exploitingmultipath propagation (i.e. where radio signals reach a receiver by twoor more paths, etc.).

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a housing 100 equipped with at leastfour antennas, in accordance with an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan viewof the housing 100 of FIG. 1 equipped with at least four antennas, inaccordance with an embodiment. Further, FIG. 3 is a top view of thehousing 100 taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2, in accordance with anembodiment. Still yet, FIG. 4 is a side view of the housing 100 takenalong line 4-4 of FIG. 2, in accordance with an embodiment.

In various embodiments, the housing 100 is a component of a mobiledevice such as a phone, tablet, personal assistant, or any other mobiledevice. With that said, other embodiments are contemplated where thehousing 100 is a component of other devices such as laptops, computers,portable electronic devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, etc.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4, the housing 100 is equipped with a back face 102and a periphery 104 having a top wall 106, a bottom wall 108, and a pairof side walls (including a first side wall 109 and a second side wall110). In the present description, a wall of a housing periphery mayinclude a frame or other applicable structures for supporting componentswithin the housing 100. The top wall 106 may be longitudinally arrangedbetween side walls 109, 110 in a substantially perpendicular manner.Alternatively or optionally, the side walls 109, 110 may be definedsubstantially parallel with each other. In one embodiment, each of thewalls 106, 108, 109, no of the periphery 104 is integrally coupled toedges of the back face 102 and extend outwardly therefrom such that atleast a portion of each of the walls 106, 108, 109, no generally residesin a corresponding plane that is substantially perpendicular (e.g. withabout 90 degree angular relationship) to a plane in which the back face102 resides. Further, while the walls 106, 108, 109, no of the periphery104 are shown to exhibit a certain level of curvature, other embodimentsare contemplated where the walls 106, 108, 109, no of the periphery 104exhibit more or less (or even no) curvature.

In the embodiment of the housing 100 illustrated in FIG. 1, the housing100 is a component of a mobile phone. To this end, the housing 100 isequipped with a camera 101, as shown. Specifically, in one possibleembodiment, the camera 101 may be mounted in the housing 100 with one ormore lenses that extend through the housing 100 for being exposed tolight. While the camera 101 is shown to be of a dual lens-type, itshould be noted that the camera 101 may be of a single lens-type,possibly include a flash, or be omitted altogether. Still yet, otherpossible features of the housing 100 (unillustrated in FIG. 1) mayinclude volume buttons, an on-off switch, a head phone jack, apower/network interface, speakers, a microphone, etc. Further, while notshown, a front face of the housing 100 may be open to allow the mountingof a touchscreen or the like, thereby forming an interior space in whicha printed circuit board (PCB) and other componentry may be inserted.More information regarding some of these and other features of suchmobile phone will be set forth later in greater detail.

As mentioned earlier, the housing 100 is configured to operate as atleast four antennas including a first antenna 103, a second antenna 105,a third antenna 107, and a fourth antenna 111. To accomplish this, thehousing 100 may be manufactured from a material that is at leastpartially conductive. For example, in one embodiment, the housing 100may be constructed using a material that includes, at least in part,metal. Further, in various embodiments, a surface of the housing 100 maybe lined with other possibly non-conductive material including, but notlimited to glass, an elastomeric sheath, etc.

By this design, different portions of the housing 100 operate as thefour antennas 103, 105, 107, 111. In other words, the material of thehousing 100 itself operates as multiple antennas. To this end, thehousing 100 serves as conformal antennas whereby the housing 100 hasdual functions, namely to house/protect internal componentry, as well asoperate as antennas. In the present description, an antenna may includeany conductive material that is configured to radiate and/or receiveradio frequency (RF) signals. Thus, the housing 100 and the fourantennas 103, 105, 107, 111 are one in the same.

So that the housing 100 may serve as the four antennas 103, 105, 107,111; a plurality of slots are formed in the housing 100 including afirst slot 112, a second slot 116, and a third slot 119. As will bedescribed later, the slots 112, 116, 119 may be formed in any desiredmanner including, but not limited to etching, cutting, stamping, etc. asurface of the housing 100, so that the housing 100 is separated intomultiple pieces (e.g. portions, etc.). Further, adjacent piecesseparated by a slot may be insulated between each other by the slot.Still yet, in the context of the present description, the slots 112,116, 119 may refer to any opening, groove, or passage in the housing100.

In various embodiments, such slots 112, 116, 119 may be of a same,similar, or different width and further extend through an entirety ofthe respective portion of the housing 100 so as to create separateportions of the housing 100 that may serve as the aforementioned fourantennas. In one embodiment, the back face 102 may be isolated orinsulated from the walls 106, 108, 109, no of the periphery 104, so thatthe aforementioned separate portions of the housing 100 may more readilyserve as the aforementioned four antennas. In other embodiments, theback face 102 may be manufactured from (or lined with) an insulativematerial, in order to accomplish a similar result. In still otherdifferent embodiments (that will be elaborated upon during reference toFIG. 5E), the slots 112, 116, 119 may be continuously formed andinterconnected, in order to provide further electrical isolation amongthe different separate portions of the housing 100. Further, a width ofthe slots 112, 116, 119 may be in the range of 0.5-5 mm, in order toensure the structural integrity of the housing 100 while affordingoptimal antenna operation.

As a further option, an insulative material 140 may be positioned in oneor more of the slots 112, 116, 119. Such insulative material 140 mayinclude any material that is insulative, at least in part, including,but not limited to an elastomeric material, ceramic, mica, glass,plastic, metal oxide, air, and/or any other material that is moreinsulative, as compared to metal. Further, in various embodiments, theinsulative material 140 may be injected within the slots 112, 116, 119such that an outer surface of the insulative material 140 and thehousing 100 are continuous, thereby forming an uninterrupted surface ofthe housing 100. As an additional option, a color of the insulativematerial 140 may be the same or similar to that of the housing 100.

Strictly as an option, a fourth slot 121 may be formed adjacent to thebottom wall 108 for defining a bottom portion 114 of the housing 100that is configured to operate as the first antenna 103. It should bestrongly noted that the illustrated size and location of the fourth slot121 is purely illustrative in that any reconfiguration of the fourthslot 121 is contemplated. For example, the fourth slot 121 may bereplaced with multiple slots for configuring the first antenna 103 tooperate in any desired manner. Still yet, the fourth slot 121 may evenbe omitted in other embodiments.

With continued reference to the figures, the second and third slots 116,119 are shown to reside adjacent to the top wall 106 for defining a topportion 118 of the periphery 104 of the housing 100. In various optionalembodiments, top edges of the second slot 116 and the third slot 119 maybe aligned and positioned anywhere within a range of 8-15 mm from thetop wall 106 of the housing 100 at a point that is a distance from thetop wall 106 which is equivalent to 5-12% of a length of the housing100. In different embodiments, such distance may be augmented toincrease a surface area of the top portion 118 and thereby improveoperability of the second antenna 105, the third antenna 107, and thefourth antenna 111 in certain lower band frequencies (e.g. 700-1000MHz). Specifically, by virtue of such larger surface area, RF signalswith longer wavelengths are more easily propagated, where a length ofsuch longer wavelengths are inversely proportional to frequency (suchthat lower band frequency operation is improved).

With continuing reference to FIG. 1, the first slot 112 is formed in thetop wall 106 of the housing 100, for dividing the top portion 118 into afirst top side portion 122 that operate as the second antenna 105, and asecond top side portion 124 that operate as both the third antenna 107and the fourth antenna 111. In one embodiment, a first size of the firsttop side portion 122 and a second size of the second top side portion124 of the top portion 118 are the same or substantially the same. Otherembodiments are contemplated, however, where the first top side portion122 and the second top side portion 124 are asymmetrical in shape,width, and/or length.

By this design, the housing 100 is equipped with at least the fourantennas 103, 105, 107, 111 that exist as a result of the incorporationof the three slots 112, 116, 119 in the housing 100. In some optionalembodiments, such slots 112, 116, 119 may be formed in a manner thatdivides the housing into symmetrical portions, for aesthetic purposesdepending on a desired industrial design (ID). To this end, the housing100 may serve as the four antennas 103, 105, 107, 111 and may even bepossibly configured to operate as a 4×4 MIMO antenna that may beparticularly useful to accommodate operating frequencies used inconnection with advanced cellular protocol standards such as 4G, LTE,LTE-A, 5G and further advancements thereof, etc.

FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of the housing 100 taken along line5-5 of FIG. 4, in accordance with an embodiment. As shown, the housing100 has, mounted therein, a PCB 129 with various components installedthereon. Specifically, the PCB 129 has, mounted thereon, the camera 101positioned at the second top side portion 124 of the housing 100, atransceiver 131 (e.g. transmitter and/or receiver) positioned at thefirst top side portion 122 of the housing 100, as well as a GPS 132 anda modem 133 in electrical communication with the transceiver 131. Itshould be noted that, in the context of the present description,“electrical communication” may refer to any direct coupling and/orindirect coupling (with one or more electrical components positionedtherebetween).

With continuing reference to FIG. 5A, each of the antennas 105, 107, 111has an associated feed member and ground. In the present description, anantenna feed includes a portion of an antenna to which supportingcircuitry (e.g. a transceiver, etc.) is electrically coupled so that,during transmission, current may flow from the antenna feed, through theantenna, and then to ground, thereby radiating RF signals. Further,during reception, RF signals may be detected via the antenna andcorresponding generated current may flow to the antenna feed, for beingfed to supporting circuitry for demodulation.

Specifically, the second antenna 105 has a second antenna feed member151 and a second antenna ground 152, the third antenna 107 has a thirdantenna feed member 153 and a third antenna ground 154, and the fourthantenna 111 has a fourth antenna feed member 155 and a fourth antennaground element 156, as shown. As further shown, the second antenna feedmember 151, the third antenna feed member 153, and the fourth antennafeed member 155 are in electrical communication with the transceiver 131via a wire, clip, or other conductive material. Still yet, in oneembodiment, the feed members 151, 153, 155 (and the ground elements 152,154, 156, for that matter) may be integrally coupled to an inner surfaceof the respective wall and extend inwardly therefrom. In anotherembodiment, a conductive material may be coupled (e.g. soldered, etc.)to the respective wall. In still other embodiments, the feed members151, 153, 155 may be omitted in favor of a direct connection (of theaforementioned wire, clip, or other conductive material) to an innerwall of the respective wall.

As shown in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5A, the second antennafeed member 151 extends inwardly from the top wall 106 of the housing100 and, in some embodiments, at an end thereof. By extending inwardlyfrom the end of the top wall 106, an overall length of the secondantenna 105 (and thus antenna area/volume) may be maximized toaccommodate operation at lower frequencies.

Further, a length of the second antenna feed member 151 may be longerthan the third antenna feed member 153 and the fourth antenna 111(individually and, in other embodiments, collectively), again formaximizing the overall length (and thus antenna area/volume) of thesecond antenna 105. In various embodiments, this may be accomplished invarious ways including, but not limited to incorporating an additionaltrace (not shown) on the PCB 129 between a circuit 130 (to be describedlater) and the second antenna feed member 151. In various embodiments,the second antenna feed member 151 may be 10%-200% longer than the thirdantenna feed member 153 and/or the fourth antenna iii. In still otherunillustrated embodiments, the second antenna feed member 151 may besized to have a shorter length (with respect to the third antenna feedmember 153 and/or the fourth antenna 111). Still yet, strictly as anoption, a first antenna feed member (not shown) of the first antenna 103may reside on a same side of the housing 100 as the second antenna feedmember 151 in order to enhance an envelope correlation coefficient (ECC)during operation.

While the second antenna feed member 151 is shown to extend along anaxis that is perpendicular to the first side wall 109 and a thickness ofthe second antenna feed member 151 is similar to (or even same as) thatof the first side wall 109, other embodiments are contemplated wheredifferent thicknesses and angles are contemplated. As an additionaloption, the circuit 130 may be in electrical communication with thesecond antenna feed member 151 in series with the transceiver 131. Invarious embodiments, the circuit 130 may include any type of elementsuch as a resistive element, a capacitive element, an inductive element,or any combination thereof; as well as a switch for selectivelyintroducing the aforementioned element into the series coupling betweenthe second antenna feed member 151 and the transceiver 131. In use, suchelement(s) of the circuit 130 may be used to selectively alteroperational characteristics (e.g. frequency bands of operation, etc.) ofthe antenna.

As further shown, the third antenna 107 and the fourth antenna in sharea common ground. In the embodiment shown, this is accomplished by thethird antenna 107 and the fourth antenna in being grounded to the camera101 in the housing 100. Specifically, a wire, clip, or other conductivematerial may be used to provide electrical communication between aninner surface of the second top side portion 124 (at the top wall 106)of the housing 100; and a frame, casing (or other component) of thecamera 101. In other embodiments, other grounding techniques arecontemplated such as grounding to the PCB 129 or another one or morecomponents mounted thereon.

As an additional option, the third antenna 107 and the fourth antenna111 may be connected to the common ground via spaced, adjacentconductive ground elements 154, 156. In various embodiments, a spacebetween the conductive elements 154, 156 may be varied to adjust anoperative length (and thus an area/volume) of the third antenna 107 andthe fourth antenna 111, respectively. For example, in one embodiment,the spacing between the ground elements 154, 156 may be reduced (i.e.made more adjacent), thereby elongating an effective length (and surfacearea/volume) of the respective third antenna 107 and fourth antenna 111,which may improve operation at a desired band of interest.

Further, in an optional embodiment, the conductive ground elements 154,156 may straddle an infrared light sensor (not shown) of the camera 101.In other embodiments, the conductive ground elements 154, 156 may beconsolidated into a single conductive element, such that the commonground is coincidently positioned, where operational characteristics maybe dependent on a volume of the respective antennas 105, 107, 111.

The third antenna feed member 153 extends inwardly adjacent to a centerof the top wall 106 of the housing 100. In one possible embodiment, thethird antenna feed member 153 may extend inwardly along an axis that issubstantially perpendicular to a plane in which the top wall 106 of thehousing 100 resides. Further, the fourth antenna feed member 155 extendsinwardly adjacent to an end of the top wall 106 of the housing 100.Similar to the third antenna feed member 153, the fourth antenna feedmember 155 may extend inwardly along an axis that is perpendicular to aplane in which the top wall 106 of the housing 100 resides. In differentembodiments, the fourth antenna feed 155 may be 10%-200% longer than thethird antenna feed member 153. In other embodiments, however, it iscontemplated that the fourth antenna feed 155 has a shorter length (withrespect to the third antenna feed member 153). As mentioned earlier,elongating an effective length (and thus surface area/volume) of arespective antenna may improve operation at a desired band of interest.

By this design, the antennas 105, 107, 111 are configured to operate asloop antennas, in that the antennas 105, 107, 111 form at least aportion of a loop. Specifically, the antennas 105, 107, 111 may each beconfigured such that the respective feed and ground are located atopposite ends of the corresponding radiating antenna 105, 107, 111,thereby forming a closed loop.

With that said, it should be noted that the antennas 105, 107, 111 maybe configured to operate as different types of antennas [e.g. aninverted-F antenna (IFA), slot antenna, etc.]. For example, toaccomplish an IFA design in connection with the fourth antenna 111, aposition of the fourth antenna feed 155 may be relocated (e.g. closer toa center of the second top side portion 124 of the housing 100). Bybeing configured as an IFA antenna, the antennas 105, 107, 111 may beequipped with a ground, and then a feed, and then an open end arm (notshown) situated along the antenna in such specific order.

Further, the antennas 105, 107, 111 may be particularly suited for usein a mobile phone that is equipped to operate in accordance withadvanced cellular protocols (e.g. LTE, LTE-A, 5G). For example, in usein accordance with one possible embodiment; the second, third and fourthantennas 105, 107, 111 may support operation of frequencies up to,including, and even exceeding 5 GHz. Further, the second antenna 105 maysupport low-band (LB), medium-band (MB), and high-band (HB) operation,as well as licensed assisted access (LAA) which leverages a 5 GHzunlicensed band in combination with a licensed spectrum, for improvingperformance. As an additional option, the second antenna 105 may useswitches to change LB coverage from 700 MHz, to 850 MHz, to 900 MHz,etc. Still yet, the third antenna 107 may support global positioningsystem (GPS), MIMO MB/HB, and WiFi 2G/5G signaling. Even still, thefourth antenna 111 may support MIMO, MB/HB, and WiFi 2G/5G signaling.

In use, the third antenna 107 may further support enhanced GPSperformance with an upper hemisphere isotropic sensitivity (UHIS) ratiothat is greater than −3 dB. Further, one or more (or all) isolationsbetween the antennas 105, 107, 111 may be greater than 10 dB. Further,all of the above may be accomplished (in some optional embodiments), viathe antennas 105, 107, in that are specifically formed by theaforementioned slots 112, 116, 119 in a way that does not materiallyaffect the functionality and aesthetics of the housing 100.

More illustrative information will now be set forth regarding variousoptional architectures and uses in which the foregoing method may or maynot be implemented, per the desires of the user. It should be noted thatthe following information is set forth for illustrative purposes andshould not be construed as limiting in any manner. Any of the followingfeatures may be optionally incorporated with or without the otherfeatures described.

FIG. 5B-1 is a back cross-sectional view of a housing 100B, inaccordance with another embodiment. Further, FIG. 5B-2 is a topcross-sectional view of a housing 100B, in accordance with theembodiment shown in FIG. 5B-1. As shown, the housing 100B includes aperiphery 104B (that is part of a metal body) having a top wall 106B,and a pair of side walls (including a first side wall 109B and a secondside wall 1100B).

In use, the housing 100B is configured to operate as at least fourantennas including a first antenna (not shown), a second antenna 105B, athird antenna 107B, and a fourth antenna 111B. So that the housing 100Bmay serve as the antennas 105B, 107B, 111B; a plurality of slots areformed in the housing 100B including a first slot 112B, a second slot116B, and a third slot 119B. As a further option, an insulative material140B may be positioned in one or more of the slots 112B, 116B, 119B. Thesecond slot 116B and the third slot 119B are shown to reside adjacent tothe top wall 106B for defining a top portion 118B of the periphery 104B.Further, the first slot 112B is formed in the top wall 106B of thehousing 100B, for dividing the top portion 118B into a first top sideportion 122B that operate as the second antenna 105B, and a second topside portion 124B that operate as both the third antenna 107B and thefourth antenna 111B.

As further shown, the housing 100B has, mounted therein, a PCB 129B withvarious components (e.g. camera 101B, etc.) installed thereon. Stillyet, the second antenna 105B has a second antenna feed member 151B and asecond antenna ground 152B, the third antenna 107B has a third antennafeed member 153B and a third antenna ground 154B, and the fourth antenna111B has a fourth antenna feed member 155B and a fourth antenna groundelement 156B, as shown.

The housing 100B of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5B-1 and FIG. 5B-2 maydiffer with respect to the previous embodiments. For example, in thepresent possible embodiment, where the housing 100B has a width of 740.8mm, a length of 153 mm, and a thickness of 6.9 mm, with housing 100Bbeing equipped with a 19 mm dual camera 101B, a metal back face, andseven slots (three slots on a top portion 118B of the periphery 104B anda U-shaped slot on a bottom portion that is not shown); the antennas mayprovide support for 4×4 MIMO LTE operation, as well as Wifi MIMO, andmay further provide a GPS UHIS ratio of −2.5 dB. Further, the antennas105B, 107B, 111B at the top portion 118B of the periphery 104B maysupport 5 GHz bands and provide good isolation of better than 10 dB forall antennas. Still yet, the antennas may exhibit a low ECC of 0.6 at700 MHz bands, and less than 0.5 at 850 MHz bands and above.Specifically, these features may be accomplished by virtue of the secondantenna feed member 151B of the second antenna 105B being situated on asame side of the housing 100B as a first antenna feed of a first antenna(not shown).

FIG. 5C-1 is a back cross-sectional view of a housing 100C, inaccordance with another embodiment. Further, FIG. 5C-2 is a topcross-sectional view of a housing 100C, in accordance with theembodiment shown in FIG. 5C-1. As shown, the housing 100C includes aperiphery 104C having a top wall 106C and a pair of side walls(including a first side wall 109C and a second side wall 110C).

In use, the housing 100C is configured to operate as at least fourantennas including a first antenna (not shown), a second antenna 105C, athird antenna 107C, and a fourth antenna 111C. So that the housing 100Cmay serve as the antennas 105C, 107C, 111C; a plurality of slots areformed in the housing 100C including a first slot 112C, a second slot116C, and a third slot 119C. As a further option, an insulative material140C may be positioned in one or more of the slots 112C, 116C, 119C. Thesecond slot 116C and the third slot 119C are shown to reside adjacent tothe top wall 106C for defining a top portion 118C of the periphery 104C.Further, the first slot 112C is formed in the top wall 106C of thehousing 100C, for dividing the top portion 118C into a first top sideportion 122C that operate as the second antenna 105C, and a second topside portion 124C that operate as both the third antenna 107C and thefourth antenna 111C.

As further shown, the housing 100C has, mounted therein, a PCB 129C withvarious components (e.g. camera 101C, etc.) installed thereon. Stillyet, the second antenna 105C has a second antenna feed member 151C and asecond antenna ground 152C, the third antenna 107C has a third antennafeed member 153C and a third antenna ground 154C, and the fourth antenna111C has a fourth antenna feed member 155C and a fourth antenna groundelement 156C, as shown.

The housing 100C of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5C-1 and FIG. 5C-2 maydiffer with respect to the previous embodiments. For example, thehousing 100C has a width of 74.2 mm, a length of 153.7 mm, and a widthof 7.7 mm, with the housing 100C being equipped with a 19 mm dual camera101C, a glass back cover, and seven slots (three slots on a top portion118C of the periphery 104C and four slots on a bottom portion that isnot shown with a 1.5 mm slot width); the antennas may provide supportfor 4×4 MIMO LTE operation, as well as Wifi MIMO, and may furtherprovide a GPS UHIS ratio of −3 dB. Further, the antennas 105C, 107C,111C at the top portion 118C of the periphery 104C may support 5 GHzbands and provide good isolation of better than 10 dB for all antennas.Still yet, the antennas may exhibit a low ECC of 0.6 at 700 MHz bands,and less than 0.5 at 850 MHz bands and above. Specifically, thesefeatures are accomplished by virtue of the second antenna feed member151C of the second antenna 105C being situated on a same side of thehousing 100C as a first antenna feed of a first antenna (not shown).

FIG. 5D-1 is a back cross-sectional view of a housing 100D, inaccordance with another embodiment. Further, FIG. 5D-2 is a topcross-sectional view of a housing 100D, in accordance with theembodiment shown in FIG. 5D-i. As shown, the housing 100D includes aperiphery 104D having a top wall 106D and a pair of side walls(including a first side wall 109D and a second side wall 110D).

In use, the housing 100D is configured to operate as at least fourantennas including a first antenna (not shown), a second antenna 105D, athird antenna 107D, and a fourth antenna 111D. So that the housing 100Dmay serve as the antennas 105D, 107D, 111D; a plurality of slots areformed in the housing 100D including a first slot 112D, a second slot116D, and a third slot 119D. As a further option, an insulative material140D may be positioned in one or more of the slots 112D, 116D, 119D. Thesecond slot 116D and the third slot 119C are shown to reside adjacent tothe top wall 106D for defining a top portion 118D of the periphery 104D.Further, the first slot 112D is formed in the top wall 106D of thehousing 100D, for dividing the top portion 118D into a first top sideportion 122D that operate as the second antenna 105D, and a second topside portion 124D that operate as both the third antenna 107D and thefourth antenna 111D.

As further shown, the housing 100D has, mounted therein, a PCB 129D withvarious components (e.g. camera 101D, etc.) installed thereon. Stillyet, the second antenna 105D has a second antenna feed member 151D and asecond antenna ground 152D, the third antenna 107D has a third antennafeed member 153D and a third antenna ground 154D, and the fourth antenna111D has a fourth antenna feed member 155D and a fourth antenna groundelement 156D, as shown.

The housing 100D of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5D-1 and FIG. 5D-2 maydiffer with respect to the previous embodiments. For example, thehousing 100D has a width of 71.7 mm, a length of 152 mm, and a width of6.96 mm, with the housing 100D being equipped with a 21.5 mm dual camera101D, a glass back cover, and five slots (three slots on a top portion118D of the periphery 104D and two slots on a bottom portion that is notshown with a 1.5 mm slot width); the antennas may provide support for4×4 MIMO LTE operation, as well as Wifi MIMO, and may further provide aGPS UHIS ratio of −2.5 dB. Further, the antennas 105D, 107D, 111D at thetop portion 118D of the periphery 104D may support 5 GHz bands andprovide good isolation of better than 10 dB for all antennas. Still yet,the antennas may exhibit a low ECC of 0.6 at 700 MHz bands, and lessthan 0.5 at 850 MHz bands and above.

FIG. 5E is perspective of the housing 100 of FIGS. 1-5A, in accordancewith another embodiment with the aforementioned slots 112, 116, 119forming a continuous slot 157. As shown, the second slot 116 formed inthe first side wall 109 and the third slot 119 formed in the second sidewall no are part of a continuous slot 157 formed in the back face 102 ofthe housing 100. Further, the first slot 112 formed in the top wall 106is further formed in the back face 102 of the housing 100 and extends toand is part of the continuous slot 157. Still yet, as compared to theembodiment of the housing 100 shown in FIG. 1, the continuous slot 157of the housing 100 shown in FIG. 5E may be positioned lower on thehousing 100, to afford greater antenna area/volume.

By this design, the continuous slot 157 (and any insulation 140 therein)may further insulate the first top side portion 122 and the second topside portion 124 so that they remain electrically insulated with respectto each other, as well as with respect to the bottom portion 114 of thehousing 100. Thus, the back face 102 of the housing 100 and theperiphery 104 may be integrally coupled (e.g. unitary), withoutnecessarily requiring an insulation therebetween and without necessarilyrequiring the back face 102 be manufactured from an insulative material(e.g. glass, etc.).

Thus, in each of the foregoing embodiments, a slot means (e.g. the slots112, 116, 119, etc. of FIGS. 1 and/or 5E) is etched in a housing means(e.g. the housing 100 of FIG. 1 and/or 5E), for the purpose of dividingthe housing means into separate portions that are capable of operatingas at least four antennas. By this design, the housing means may serveas four antennas possibly configured to operate as a 4×4 MIMO antennathat may be particularly useful to accommodate operating frequenciesused in connection with advanced cellular protocol standards such as 4G,LTE, LTE-A, 5G and further advancements thereof, etc.

FIG. 6 is a method 600 for constructing a housing that is configured tooperate as four conformal antennas, in accordance with anotherembodiment. As an option, the method 600 may be implemented in thecontext of any one or more of the embodiments set forth in any previousand/or subsequent figure(s) and/or the description thereof. For example,in one embodiment, the method 600 may be used to manufacture the housing100 of FIGS. 1 and/or 5E. However, it is to be appreciated that themethod 600 may be implemented in other suitable environments.

As shown in operation 602, a housing (e.g. housing 100 of FIGS. 1 and/or5E) is created having a back face and a periphery including a top wall,a bottom wall, a first side wall, and a second side wall. Such housingmay be created by cutting, forming, stamping, and otherwise processing ametal material to provide the housing. Further, the housing isconfigured to operate as at least four antennas, and includes a topportion, and a bottom portion that is configured to operate as a firstantenna of the four antennas.

With continuing reference to FIG. 6, at least three slots are etched inthe top portion, per operation 604. In various embodiments, the slotsmay be etched in any desired manner including, but not limited tocutting or stamping the surface, or any other processing that results inthe slots being formed. Further, such slots include a first slot formedin the top wall, a second slot formed in the first side wall, and athird slot formed in the second side wall, for dividing the top portioninto a first top side portion that operates as a second antenna of thefour antennas, and a second top side portion that operates as both athird antenna and a fourth antenna of the four antennas.

FIG. 7A is a chart illustrating exemplary antenna efficiency 700 that isexhibited in connection with operation of the embodiment of FIG. 1, inaccordance with one embodiment. Specifically, the chart of FIG. 7Aillustrates exemplary antenna efficiency 700 that is exhibited by thesecond antenna 105 of the housing 100 of FIG. 1.

The efficiency of the antenna is measured by an amount of energy(voltage squared) received at the receiving antenna over air, divided byan amount of energy transmitted to the antenna. This is thus an overalltest because the energy is transported to the antenna port, radiated bythe transmitting antenna, propagated as electromagnetic waves throughthe air, received by the receiving antenna, and converted back tocurrent on the receiving antenna ports. While the transmitting antennais transmitting, the receiving antenna will collect a 3-dimensionalradiation pattern, and then aggregate the data. Assuming half thetransmitted power is received, then, 10*log 10 (0.5/1.0)=−3 dB. To thisend, a larger negative number is indicative of better performance (i.e.more energy is being delivered from one antenna to another).

As shown in FIG. 7A, the antenna efficiency 700 of the second antenna105 is exhibited in connection with three LTE tuning states (e.g. B12 toB5 to B8). As indicated, a low-band performance range 701, a mid-bandperformance range 702 (which can cover multiple bands), and a 5 GHz bandperformance range 704 (for additional connectivity such as WiFi, 5G, orLAA) are provided.

FIG. 7B is another chart illustrating exemplary antenna efficiency 750that is exhibited in connection with operation of the embodiment of FIG.1, in accordance with one embodiment. Specifically, the chart of FIG. 7Billustrates exemplary antenna efficiency 750 that is exhibited by thethird antenna 107 and the fourth antenna in of the housing 100 ofFIG. 1. GPS performance 751 is shown in FIG. 7B in connection with thethird antenna 107 of the housing 100 of FIG. 1. Further, a mid-bandperformance range 752 (which can cover multiple bands) is provided,along with a WiFi 2G performance range 754 (via a main- or sub-antenna).Still yet, a 5 GHz band performance range 756 (for additionalconnectivity such as WiFi, 5G, or LAA) is provided (via a main- orsub-antenna).

One or more of the foregoing features of the aforementioned embodimentsmay thus provide a housing (e.g. phone housing) with at least fourantennas. To accomplish this, three slots are formed in the housing. Insome optional embodiments, such slots are formed in a manner thatdivides the housing into symmetrical portions, for aesthetic purposes.By this design, the housing may serve as four antennas possiblyconfigured to operate as a 4×4 MIMO antenna that may be particularlyuseful to accommodate operating frequencies used in connection withadvanced cellular protocol standards such as 4G, LTE, LTE-A, 5G andfurther advancements thereof, etc. This may, in turn, result ineffective and/or efficient communication using relevant standards thatwould otherwise be foregone in systems that lack such features. Itshould be noted that the aforementioned potential advantages are setforth for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed aslimiting in any manner.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of a network architecture 800, in accordance with anembodiment. As shown, at least one network 802 is provided. In variousembodiments, any one or more components/features set forth during thedescription of any previous figure(s) may be implemented in connectionwith any one or more of the components of the at least one network 802.

In the context of the present network architecture 800, the network 802may take any form including, but not limited to a telecommunicationsnetwork, a local area network (LAN), a wireless network, a wide areanetwork (WAN) such as the Internet, peer-to-peer network, cable network,etc. While only one network is shown, it should be understood that twoor more similar or different networks 802 may be provided.

Coupled to the network 802 is a plurality of devices. For example, aserver 812 and a computer 808 may be coupled to the network 802 forcommunication purposes. Such computer 808 may include a desktopcomputer, lap-top computer, and/or any other type of logic. Still yet,various other devices may be coupled to the network 802 including apersonal digital assistant (PDA) device 810, a mobile phone device 806,a television 804, etc.

FIG. 9 is a diagram of an exemplary processing device 900, in accordancewith an embodiment. As an option, the processing device 900 may beimplemented in the context of any of the devices of the networkarchitecture 800 of FIG. 8. However, it is to be appreciated that theprocessing device 900 may be implemented in any desired environment.

As shown, the processing device 900 includes at least one processor 902which is connected to a bus 912. The processing device 900 also includesmemory 904 [e.g., hard disk drive, solid state drive, random accessmemory (RAM), etc.] coupled to the bus 912. The memory 904 may includeone or more memory components, and may even include different types ofmemory. Further included is a communication interface 908 (e.g.local/remote network interface, memory access interface, etc.) and aninput/output (I/O) interface 910 (e.g. display, speaker, microphone,touchscreen, touchpad, mouse interface, etc.).

The processing device 900 may also include a secondary storage 906. Thesecondary storage 906 coupled to the bus 912 and/or to other componentsof the processing device 900. The secondary storage 906 can include, forexample, a hard disk drive and/or a removable storage drive,representing a floppy disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, a compact diskdrive, etc. The removable storage drive reads from and/or writes to aremovable storage unit in a well-known manner.

Computer programs, or computer control logic algorithms, may be storedin the memory 904, the secondary storage 906, and/or any other memory,for that matter. Such computer programs, when executed, enable theprocessing device 900 to perform various functions (as set forth above,for example). Memory 904, secondary storage 906 and/or any other storagecomprise non-transitory computer-readable media.

It should be understood that the arrangement of components illustratedin the Figures described are exemplary and that other arrangements arepossible. It should also be understood that the various systemcomponents defined by the claims, described below, and illustrated inthe various block diagrams represent logical components in some systemsconfigured according to the subject matter disclosed herein.

To facilitate an understanding of the subject matter described herein,many aspects are described in terms of sequences of actions. At leastone of these aspects defined by the claims is performed by an electronichardware component. For example, it will be recognized that the variousactions may be performed by specialized circuits or circuitry, byprogram instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by acombination of both. The description herein of any sequence of actionsis not intended to imply that the specific order described forperforming that sequence must be followed. All methods described hereinmay be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated hereinor otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in thecontext of describing the subject matter (particularly in the context ofthe following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular andthe plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted bycontext. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended toserve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separatevalue falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, andeach separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it wereindividually recited herein. Furthermore, the foregoing description isfor the purpose of illustration only, and not for the purpose oflimitation, as the scope of protection sought is defined by the claimsas set forth hereinafter together with any equivalents thereof entitledto. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “suchas”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illustrate thesubject matter and does not pose a limitation on the scope of thesubject matter unless otherwise claimed. The use of the term “based on”and other like phrases indicating a condition for bringing about aresult, both in the claims and in the written description, is notintended to foreclose any other conditions that bring about that result.No language in the specification should be construed as indicating anynon-claimed element as essential to the practice of the embodiments asclaimed.

At least one embodiment is disclosed and variations, combinations,and/or modifications of the embodiment(s) and/or features of theembodiment(s) made by a person having ordinary skill in the art arewithin the scope of the disclosure. Alternative embodiments that resultfrom combining, integrating, and/or omitting features of theembodiment(s) are also within the scope of the disclosure. Wherenumerical ranges or limitations are expressly stated, such expressranges or limitations should be understood to include iterative rangesor limitations of like magnitude falling within the expressly statedranges or limitations such as from about 1 to about 10 includes, 2, 3,4, etc.; greater than 0.10 includes 0.11, 0.12, 0.13, etc. For example,whenever a numerical range with a lower limit, R₁, and an upper limit,R_(u), is disclosed, any number falling within the range is specificallydisclosed. In particular, the following numbers within the range arespecifically disclosed: R=R₁+k*(R_(u)−R R₁), wherein k is a variableranging from 1 percent to 100 percent with a 1 percent increment, i.e.,k is 1 percent, 2 percent, 3 percent, 4 percent, 7 percent, . . . , 70percent, 71 percent, 72 percent, . . . , 97 percent, 96 percent, 97percent, 98 percent, 99 percent, or 100 percent. Moreover, any numericalrange defined by two R numbers as defined in the above is alsospecifically disclosed. The use of the term “about” means+−10% of thesubsequent number, unless otherwise stated. Use of the term “optionally”with respect to any element of a claim means that the element isrequired, or alternatively, the element is not required, bothalternatives being within the scope of the claim. Use of broader termssuch as comprises, includes, and having should be understood to providesupport for narrower terms such as consisting of, consisting essentiallyof, and comprised substantially of. Accordingly, the scope of protectionis not limited by the description set out above but is defined by theclaims that follow, that scope including all equivalents of the subjectmatter of the claims. Each and every claim is incorporated as furtherdisclosure into the specification and the claims are embodiment(s) ofthe present disclosure. The discussion of a reference in the disclosureis not an admission that it is prior art, especially any reference thathas a publication date after the priority date of this application. Thedisclosure of all patents, patent applications, and publications citedin the disclosure are hereby incorporated by reference, to the extentthat they provide exemplary, procedural, or other details supplementaryto the disclosure.

The embodiments described herein include the one or more modes known tothe inventor for carrying out the claimed subject matter. It is to beappreciated that variations of those embodiments will become apparent tothose of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoingdescription. The inventor expects skilled artisans to employ suchvariations as appropriate, and the inventor intends for the claimedsubject matter to be practiced otherwise than as specifically describedherein. Accordingly, this claimed subject matter includes allmodifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in theclaims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, anycombination of the above-described elements in all possible variationsthereof is encompassed unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwiseclearly contradicted by context.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mobile phone, comprising: a housing having aperiphery and a back face, the periphery extending along edges of theback face to surround the back face, at least a portion of the peripherybeing conductive, and the periphery comprising a top wall, a first sidewall, a second side wall, and a bottom wall: the top wall having a firstslot formed therein, with the top wall having no other slots formedtherein; the first side wall having a second slot formed therein; thesecond side wall having a third slot formed therein, wherein the secondslot or the third slot is positioned with a distance from the top wallthat is 5-12% of a length of the housing, a width of the first slot, thesecond slot and the third slot being in a range of 0.5-5 mm, and the topwall arranged between the first side wall and the second side wall; andwherein a top portion of the periphery is defined between the secondslot and the third slot, and the top portion is divided into a first topside portion and a second top side portion via the first slot, the firsttop side portion configured to operate as a first antenna, the secondtop side portion configured to operate as both a second antenna and athird antenna, and wherein the first antenna includes a first antennafeed and a first antenna ground, the second antenna includes a secondantenna feed and a second antenna ground, and the third antenna includesa third antenna feed and a third antenna ground, and the first antenna,the second antenna or the third antenna is configured to operate in a 5GHz frequency band.
 2. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the secondslot or the third slot is aligned with a camera of the mobile phone. 3.The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the first antenna feed extendsinwardly from the first antenna.
 4. The mobile phone of claim 1, whereinthe first antenna feed is longer than the second antenna feed or thethird antenna feed.
 5. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the housingfurther comprises a front face.
 6. The mobile phone of claim 1, andfurther comprising: a configurable element in electrical communicationwith the first antenna feed, with the configurable element comprising aswitch and at least one of a resistive element, a capacitive element, oran inductive element.
 7. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the firstantenna is configured to be switched between a first mode of operationfor operating at a first frequency range and a second mode of operationfor operating at a second frequency range.
 8. The mobile phone of claim1, further comprising: an insulative material positioned in each of thefirst slot, the second slot and the third slot.
 9. The mobile phone ofclaim 8, wherein the insulative material comprises an elastomericmaterial, ceramic, mica, glass, plastic, metal oxide, or air.
 10. Themobile phone of claim 1, wherein top edges of the second slot and thethird slot are aligned and positioned anywhere within a range of 8-15 mmfrom the top wall.
 11. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein at least oneof the first antenna, the second antenna or the third antenna isconfigured to operate as a 4×4 multiple-input-multiple output (MIMO)antenna.
 12. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the back face ismanufactured from an insulative material.
 13. The mobile phone of claim1, wherein the first antenna feed, the second antenna feed and the thirdantenna feed are in electrical communication with a transceiver via aconductive material.
 14. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein one ormore isolations between the first antenna, the second antenna and thethird antenna are greater than 10 dB.
 15. A mobile phone, comprising: ahousing having a periphery and a back face, the periphery extendingalong edges of the back face to surround the back face, at least aportion of the periphery being conductive, and the periphery comprisinga top wall, a first side wall, a second side wall, and a bottom wall:the top wall having a first slot formed therein, with the top wall beingdivided into only two portions by the first slot; the first side wallhaving a second slot formed therein; and the second side wall having athird slot formed therein, wherein a width of the first slot, the secondslot and the third slot being in a range of 0.5-5 mm, and the top wallarranged between the first side wall and the second side wall; andwherein a top portion of the periphery is defined between the secondslot and the third slot, and the top portion is divided into a first topside portion and a second top side portion via the first slot, the firsttop side portion configured to operate as a first antenna, the secondtop side portion configured to operate as both a second antenna and athird antenna, and wherein the first antenna includes a first antennafeed and a first antenna ground, the second antenna includes a secondantenna feed and a second antenna ground, and the third antenna includesa third antenna feed and a third antenna ground, and the first antenna,the second antenna or the third antenna is configured to operate in a 5GHz frequency band.
 16. The mobile phone of claim 15, wherein the secondslot or the third slot is aligned with a camera of the mobile phone. 17.The mobile phone of claim 15, wherein the first antenna feed extendsinwardly from the first antenna.
 18. The mobile phone of claim 15,wherein the first antenna feed is longer than the second antenna feed orthe third antenna feed.
 19. The mobile phone of claim 15, and furthercomprising: a configurable element in electrical communication with thefirst antenna feed, with the configurable element comprising a switchand at least one of a resistive element, a capacitive element, or aninductive element.
 20. The mobile phone of claim 15, wherein the firstantenna is configured to be switched between a first mode of operationfor operating at a first frequency range and a second mode of operationfor operating at a second frequency range.
 21. The mobile phone of claim15, further comprising: an insulative material positioned in each of thefirst slot, the second slot and the third slot.
 22. The mobile phone ofclaim 21, wherein the insulative material comprises an elastomericmaterial, ceramic, mica, glass, plastic, metal oxide, or air.
 23. Themobile phone of claim 15, wherein top edges of the second slot and thethird slot are aligned and positioned anywhere within a range of 8-15 mmfrom the top wall.
 24. The mobile phone of claim 15, wherein at leastone of the first antenna, the second antenna or the third antenna isconfigured to operate as a 4×4 multiple-input-multiple output (MIMO)antenna.
 25. The mobile phone of claim 15, wherein the back face ismanufactured from an insulative material.
 26. The mobile phone of claim15, wherein the first antenna feed, the second antenna feed and thethird antenna feed are in electrical communication with a transceivervia a conductive material.
 27. The mobile phone of claim 15, wherein oneor more isolations between the first antenna, the second antenna and thethird antenna are greater than 10 dB.
 28. A method, comprising: creatinga housing having a periphery and a back face for a mobile phone, theperiphery extending along edges of the back face to surround the backface, wherein the periphery includes a top wall, a first side wall, asecond side wall and a bottom wall, and at least a portion of theperiphery is conductive; and etching at least three slots in a topportion of the periphery including a first slot formed in the top wall,a second slot formed in the first side wall, and a third slot formed inthe second side wall, for dividing the top portion into a first top sideportion operating as a first antenna and a second top side portionoperating as both a second antenna and a third antenna, wherein the topwall has only one slot formed therein, a width of the first slot, thesecond slot and the third slot being in a range of 0.5-5 mm, the secondslot or the third slot positioned with a distance from the top wall thatis 5-12% of a length of the housing, the first antenna including a firstantenna feed and a first antenna ground, the second antenna including asecond antenna feed and a second antenna ground, and the third antennaincluding a third antenna feed and a third antenna ground, and the firstantenna, the second antenna or the third antenna is configured tooperate in a 5 GHz frequency band.
 29. The method of claim 28, whereinthe second slot or the third slot is aligned with a camera of the mobilephone.
 30. The method of claim 28, wherein the first antenna feedextends inwardly from the first antenna.
 31. The method of claim 28,wherein the first antenna feed is longer than the second antenna feed orthe third antenna feed.
 32. The method of claim 28, wherein top edges ofthe second slot and the third slot are aligned and positioned anywherewithin a range of 8-15 mm from the top wall.